Ember
by Flying-Sorcery
Summary: NEWSFLASH! LOOK IN REVIEWS! Oh and I don't own anything to do with the storm hawks. But Ember and Jake are all mine. You can't have them. Mwahaha! :P
1. FREEDOM!

_..._

'_Dear diary,_

_Ember again (obviously) ARGH! Jake is so annoying! He's only gone and got me a detention again. Why, you ask? Well. First, he's throwing bits of paper around the class (as per usual) then 1 hits Mr. Higginbottom on the back of the head. Then, he decides to stick his nose into his book, like he should have had anyway, leaving __me__ to get blamed. Why does no-one ever believe me? Oh! And robin's letting me sleepover tomorrow (yey) No idea how I'm supposed to get out without being noticed...'_

Ember shuts her diary, slides off her unmade bed and rushes to the window as her entire room begins to shiver... the vibrations get larger and more ferocious until books start to fall off her shelves. '_What is that? It sounds like an air ship but why would one come to the orphanage? There's nowhere to land for ½ a mile... _'

After the bookcase also falling over, a large air ship comes into view through the rusty bars on her window, which a few seconds later ploughs down the front wall of the orphanage lengthways.

"Ooh that can't be good...Although..." she begins scooping clothes out of her wardrobe and stuffing them into a smallish holdall. "Best. Distraction. Ever!" With this, she sprints out of the room with the biggest grin she's shown in a long time.

Dodging all the panicking social workers and other staff, she slips out of the back door unnoticed.

...

**Sooo... there you have it **** I'm not sure if this is any good, but I'm sure any reviews I get will confirm my fears... hope you liked it, please review (I need all the help I can get!)**

**Nooo! There's no muse lyrics *slap on the wrist* **


	2. NEVER call her 'Babe'

**Okay... so you're probably wondering why there was no actual Storm Hawks involved in the last chappie... please be patient... I'll get there :) Please enjoy, and pleeeeeeaase review :)**

**...**

**Chapter 2**

Ember looks back at the ruined building that she's just escaped from. 'Snap out of it, Ember. They'll be fine.' She assures herself. Though, she can't give herself a good enough excuse to not check for people in need of help. "Damn you, conscience. " She mutters to herself as she makes her way over to the rubble and the ship that's surprisingly in-tact.

Ember's head cautiously peers round the corner to reveal the few injured people being tended to by not very well trained first aiders, but first aiders nonetheless. No-one seemed to be making any effort to check on the people who must be inside the ship, however. 'Guess it's up to me then...'

Clambering over rubble and peoples dust covered belongings, and collecting a discarded first aid kit on the way, she comes across a crumpled doorway and is about to slip through when "Hey- Emu *pant* wait up!" She hangs her head and groans; only 1 person calls her 'Emu'. Jake.

"Jake, keep it down, I'm trying not to get noticed here."

"Not doing a very good job of that... Whatcha doin'?"

"I'm going to see if anyone onboard is injured or... worse. I could do with some help, Jake. You mind?"

"Err... well... remember what happened when I saw that girl have a nose-bleed – I think that's a pretty definite sign that I'm not good around blood."

"Just come on Jake. I'll walk ahead of you and warn you if there's anything remotely bloody, okay?"

"But what if they did all this deliberately... What if they attack us?"

'Good point.' She thinks to herself, but she disregards it in her usual fashion. "Aww, Is little Jakey-wakey scared?" she says, grabbing his cheeks like an over friendly granny. "Don't worry, Ember will keep you safe." And with this, she slips through the doorway.

So Jake agrees with a groan and follows Ember, though reluctantly.

"Hello... can anyone hear me?" The pair call through the hallways, peeking round corners, until they come across a boy splayed out on the floor face down in what Ember presumes is his bedroom.

"Jake, no blood, come on help me lift him onto the bed." She waves him over.

With a few heaves and pushes, the blonde boy was on the bed, groaning.

"So he's alive then."

"Wow Jake, how did you _possibly_ deduce that?" Sarcasm has always been a strong trait in Ember for as long as she can remember, and it's come hand in hand with repeatedly getting into trouble.

"Dude... what happened?" the blonde moans while rubbing his eyes, then looks up to see a girl checking for broken bones. "Hey, babe, who are _you_?"

Ember _really _doesn't appreciate being called 'babe', so replies by giving the flirt a slap on the cheek.

"Hey!"

"Ember!"

"WHAT?"

"So you're Ember, huh? I'm Finn, but you can call me the Finnster"

...

**Wahoo! My second chapter! And I managed to squeeze in an actual character :) **

**Please review – I need your support!**

**P.S. NOT ALL CHAPTERS WILL BE PUT UP THIS QUICKLY IF I CONTINUE THIS... THIS HAS BEEN A PARTICUALY BLAND WEEKEND SO I'VE HAD PLENTY OF TIME ON MY HANDS. OOPS. I DIDN'T MEAN FOR THIS TO BE IN CAPITALS BUT I'M NOT GOING TO WRITE IT ALL OVER AGAIN...**

**KEZZY XXX **


	3. Medical junk

**Hi peoples! If you're reading this, I presume you've read the others... Thank you :D but I desperately need reviews... I'm getting very lonely... :_(**

**Sorry if this isn't up to scratch, feeling grotty so I can't really concentrate :( (Bad excuse I know)**

**Without further ado, please welcome Chapter 3!**

**...**

'Wow, this guy must have really got hit hard; who in the right mind would call themselves '_the Finnster._' Or he could just be a pompous weirdo...' By now, Ember has finished the check up and this 'Finnster' person has fully come round from unconsciousness.

"Finn, how many other people are there apart from you on this ship? You're the first person we've come across so far." Ember asks confidently, while Jake is still weary of the fact that they know nothing about the people that could be on the ship, so he stands in the doorway looking out into the corridor so that no-one can sneak up and attack him.

"Err... five...well, four if you don't count Radarr... are they okay?" He begins to recall the crash in his mind and is now concerned about the other team members.

"Like I said, you're the first we've come across... stay here and rest, we'll go search for the others. Jake, you coming?" Ember is already out of the room when she talks to Jake, who just replies

"Oh, um, yeah... Wait a second... is that what I think it is? Holey cheese..." his eyes are fixated on the beautiful sight before him, until Finn interrupts by picking up the guitar and begins to play it, or rather torture it. "Pretty sweet, right?" asks Finn exited by the prospect of having a fan of his 'music'.

By the time Ember comes back to see why Jake isn't following, she finds him on the guitar making worse sounds than Finn (is that even possible?)

'I'll never be able to separate these two...' She gives a defeated sigh then walks off to search for others. It's not long before she discovers a girl, maybe a year older than herself, a large creature/person that resembles a rhino 'weird...', a blue fluffy animal 'that must be Radarr...' , a green man 'weirder...' and a red-haired boy, also around her age, all on the bridge of the ship.

Ember is finishing up with the checkups when Jake and Finn walk in discussing guitar riffs, and bass-lines, Jake having forgotten his fear of these people and Finn having forgotten all about his team mates. Their in-depth discussion is only disrupted when Ember clears her throat to catch their attention.

"Yes, a little help would good, thanks for offering." She glares at the now seemingly best friends.

"Sorry Emu, but Finn has got the best music collection ever known, how can we not talk about it?"

"Jake."

"Yes Emu?"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

"Sorry Emu." The two boys burst out into laughter, grabbing each other's shoulders for support, barely able to stand.

Now a box of sticky plasters is hurtling through the air, until it comes into contact with Jake's head

"OWW! What was that for? Oh, right. Sorry."

"Anyway, everyone's fine, just bruises and scratches which I've patched up the best I can, apart from..." but she trails off nervously.

"What? What's wrong?" asks a concerned Finn.

"Everyone's fine apart from him." She points to the Red haired boy lying by the large window. "The rest should be awake in... I'd say somewhere around 20 minutes or so, but him... From what I can see he's got quite a bad case of concussion – it could take days for him to come around."

Not that I'm not impressed and all, Emu- I mean Ember" a severe look of derision persuades this change of heart. "It's just... you grew up in an orphanage, just like me, so how do you know all this medical junk?" asks Jake, taken off guard by his friend's secret knowledge.

"I'll have you know that that 'medical junk' is very important stuff. And to answer your question, you know that vent in my room? That links directly to the assembly hall, well, used to anyway – I could hear every word when the staff had to do those first aid courses. Turns out I've got pretty good memory that's all."

"Ooh. Fair dos"

...

**I know, I know... it was pretty boring... needed to be said though :) **

**It will pick up a bit I promise...**

**Hope it wasn't too dreadful and that I haven't scared off all 10 of you... Lol (seriously though, when I'm writing this, there's been only 10 viewings and no reviews! Awful :()**

**So please pick up my spirits by reviewing... It'll make me feel better and in turn it might make the story better too :)**

**Oh and I'd like to say once again that not all chappies will be put up this fast... not that anyone would care... (Sympathy vote... this is a low)**

**Ta-Ta for now,**

**Kezzy xxx**


	4. Pine fresh

**Why, hello there, my enormous crowd of fans... A GRAND TOTAL OF 1 REVIEW AND 33 VIEWS!**

**Go me! I'm so popular!**

**Ok... ahem, sorry about that...**

**Welcome to the epic tale of Ember, chapter 4. Before I begin, I would like to give many, many, many, and many again thanks to my first reviewer, aka mastermind123. Due to a very good point made, I am now changing tenses from present to past – should make it a little easier to understand, though at first, it may be even more confusing (not easy getting out of old habits and all ...)**

**These notes have been going on waaaay too long, so enjoy :) I'll shut up now. Bye. See you at the end. Love you all. In a friend kind of way I mean. Bye again. *waves and blows a kiss* :)**

**Oh and just in case someone tries to sue me, I don't own anything remotely Storm Hawkish. Unfortunately. :( **

**...**

23 minutes later precisely, Stork awoke to find the rest of the team fully conscious, apart from Aerrow, and talking to a couple of strangers in the centre of the room.

"_Eeep..._" he storms over to the newcomers. "Who are you and what do you think you're doing on my ship?" his left eye twitched violently, his finger shakily pointed at the girl.

"Erm... I'm Ember and that's Jake. We're on your ship because you crashed into our home. Not such a bad thing I suppose... But that's not the point... We were just checking if you were ok and– "she was cut off mid-sentence by Stork holding up a hand.

"Enough. Follow me."

Ember and Jake looked at each other, and then the team, wondering what was going to happen.

The only reply they got was the girl called Piper silently mouthing the words 'I'm sorry'.

A sigh of reluctance later, the two followed stork into a room, and were then ambushed by a bucketful of disinfectant each. Then Stork said "Welcome onto the Condor." and walked off with a grin.

"*Gasp* THAT. IS. FREEZING!" Ember barely managed to squeak out her words.

"Mmm... Pine fresh."

" Shut it Jake."

...

**OMG I'm sorry it's so short – gotta rush; just remembered I've got some psychology homework to do... ooopseey :\ **

**Oh and before I forget this too, REVIEW! I CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH, PEOPLE! IT WON'T KILL YOU! I don't think so anyway... hehe**


	5. A little note

**A little note for my favourite people in the world: the reviewers!**

**So sorry for taking so long, but college has seriously making me want to magically explode….**

**Been a little depressed lately, but those reviews…. I actually did a little happy dance all around the house, thoroughly scaring my cat Nero in the process :) hehe**

**Please don't hit me – but it might take while for the next chappie to come up… I'm actually doing this on a friends computer because my STUPID netbook has locked Microsoft word off so I can't write anything! It's just jealous of my fantasticness ;)**


	6. Stick around

**I AM SOOOO HAPPY! I HAVE REVIEWS! HAHAHA! *goes slightly power mad***

**Yey, I thought it would take a little longer than this…. **

**Anyways….**

**Please give a warm and cuddly welcome to chapter 5. Or is it 6? You know what I mean.**

…**.**

Finn couldn't hold back the laughter as Ember and Jake walked onto the bridge; soaking wet hair plastered to their faces, and leaving trails of pine scented liquid behind them.

"Ok. I have a couple of questions for you. 1:" said Ember holding up her index finger. "Why did I just get a bucketful of disinfectant thrown over me? And 2:" she holds up another finger "Why, may I ask, did no-one warn me?" Her look of un-amusement showers over the team.

Her questions were answered by the culprit.

"If I didn't disinfect you, who knows what kind of deadly, flesh-eating diseases you might be carrying onto my ship…" Stork shudders at the thought. "Not to mention _mind worms._ I'd have no choice but to throw you both overboard."

"Not such a big deal considering we're parked on a heap of rubble…" mumbled Jake under his breath.

"And what about my second question?"

Piper nudged Finn, encouraging him to say what needs to be said.

"Well, you know how you found us and helped us… and all… we couldn't warn you because if we did you'd not get disinfected and stork would throw you off the ship."

Piper rolled her eyes, and then continued what Finn was trying to say. "Trust you to mess it up Finn. What he's trying to say is that we'd all like you to stick around… you don't have to if you don't want, but we'd all like to thank you for the help."

"Oh… right… err, wow." She was well and truly gob-smacked; no-one had ever offered anything like this to her before.

"I think she's trying to say yes… I know I am."

"_Jake!_ He's right though… I'd love to!"

"Great! It's settled then… but first let's get you a towel before you freeze."

"Actually, Piper, I put one in my holdall. I left it in the hallway. And don't worry, there's nothing embarrassing in there." She smiled contently, knowing she'd just made the quickest of friendships in her entire life – until a horrible thought came into her head. "Oh no… PIPER WAIT!"

….

_With Piper_

'Ah… there it is.' She pulls out the towel from the holdall, accidently making a large heavy book fall and crush something below it… 'Oh no! How am I going to explain this?' she sighed and walked back to the bridge to apologise.

…..

_Back on the bridge_

Piper walked into the room ready for anger and tears, but she definitely wasn't so prepared for what she did find: everyone staring at Ember, her hair jet black, and her eyes now a scarlet red.

…..

**Dun, dun, duuuuuuun! Yey! My first cliff-hanger!**

**So, yeah… as ever please review. I know I say that too much, but oh well. **

**Oh and if you were wondering about my computer probz (I know none of you were, but I'm going to tell you anyway ;D) It turns out I'll have to buy a product key thingy -ma-bobby which will cost, wait for it….**_**£65! AAAARRRGGGHHH!**_

**So… goodbye retro scooter fund… :_( oh happy days.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter :) REVIEW!**


	7. Resemblance

**Bonjour! **

**First off, I would like to thank ****aerrowluver1127 for the lovely review :) To answer your questions,1. Kind of(ish) not really I suppose. Sorry. And 2. Maybe…. you'll just have to wait and see. So will I. I'm just making it up as I go along :)**

**ARGH! My mum just made me let her read my reviews… awkward…**

**Oh, and I've dropped one of my college courses (HATED IT!) so now I'll have a little more time on my hands to write! Yey! *does a little happy dance***

**AND I'm applying for an apprenticeship with a posh hairdressing academy! £95 a week! Hello scooter fund! Wish me luck :)**

**What am I doing here? Oh, that's it… I'm writing a story aren't I! Here it is. Chapter 6. I think.**

…**.**

"Ember, I'm so sorry. A book fell onto top of something and crushed it, though I didn't get a look a-" Piper's jaw dropped and her eyes went wide as she saw what the others were looking at.

"Trust me Piper, I already know." said Ember, staring at her reflection in the window, looking what could only be described as embarrassed. "Okay, I guess I've got some explaining to do." she said with a sigh.

Stork was livid. If he was any madder, he would be foaming at the mouth.

"See? THIS is what happens when you let a stranger stay on MY ship… you think you can trust them, then they transform into Dark Ace look-alikes…" He stormed out of the room continuing his rant, then all eyes diverted away from him, and back onto Ember.

She opened her mouth to start her long-winded explanation about how she was teased for having red eyes when she was little, and how she found that crystal, and how it made her look like the person she really was on the inside - until groaning could be heard from the corner of the room.

"Aerrow!" The storm hawks rushed over to their leader, leaving Ember looking somewhat lost and abandoned.

Junko had Aerrow held in a head-lock, which could be described as a hug. "You're awake!" his eyes brimming with tears.

"Hi.. Junko…. can't….. Breathe!"

Junko immediately let go of him "Oh…um, sorry…"

"Is everyone oka- Who are they?" asked Aerrow, his eyes not quite focusing yet.

Jake finally decided to join the conversation with "We're the people who totally saved your butts!"

Ember slapped him over the back of the head, resorting to violence as usual.

"I'm Ember, that's Jake. And yes, we '_saved your butts' _as he likes to put it_._" She moved closer to him to do a check-over now that he was awake, but when he saw the shocking resemblance to his greatest enemy, he backed away from her.

"You look so much like him…"

"Who?"

"The Dark Ace." Aerrow spat out those words like he tasted lime juice.

"Okay… I'm guessing I'm supposed to know who this guy is then."

"No, you wouldn't know. He never came to this side of the Atmos."

"Oh. Righty then. WHAT DO YOU MEAN _THIS _SIDE OF THE ATMOS? You mean you're from… the _other_ side?" '_Oh God… please don't make them be cannibals…_'

…

**I can't think of anything to write… humph.**

**Please review as always… I don't particularly like this one, but you might think different.**

**Oh no. I think I've lost 'the spark'…. Or maybe it's just writers block… hope so :/**

**Ta-ta, Kezzy xxx**


	8. Another sorry note

**Hiyaaaa! **

**Ok. I know you will hate me for this if you like the story. Please don't murder me just yet…**

**Now I know you people expect good stuff, and that's what I've really been trying to give you… hope that's worked so far, so all I'm asking, is that you give me a little bit of time to think over the plot - it's just not fitting into place in my head at the mo.**

**Oh, and aerrowluver1127, you are officially now my best friend! - Those reviews got me a little emotional :) Yeah…sorry about the whole saying one thing, then doing the other, changed my mind ½ way through. And no, I'm definitely not old… I'm a 5 year old at heart :) **

**So please be patient… If you have any magnificent ideas you want to set free, feel free to let me know how you want it to go. It might be the inspiration I need to produce more fabulousossity :) **

**Kezzy xxx**

**P.S. When did my head get so big?**

**P.P.S. I am copyrighting the word 'fabulousossity' ;)**


	9. Memories, part uno

**Yey! I'm back! You're back too! (Obviously- you couldn't be reading this otherwise, could you?)**

**Sooo… erm, yeah, sorry about the wait - writer's block and all…**

**I would once again just like to thank SH_StarKnight_1127 (I think the new name works well btw :D) this time for giving me the inspiration I needed to carry on. I think you'll find some elements of your suggestion in these upcoming chappies - it wouldn't be fair to steal it completely ;) And don't worry; Ember's got a few chapters to go yet :)**

**Oh, and I don't own Storm Hawks. This should hopefully make up for all those times I didn't put a disclaimer on… Ooopsy. Nerd Corps, in the slightest chance you're reading this, I'm sorry. Serves you right though…**

**Anyways, as much as I'd like to sit here babbling, it's time to get on with the story. Please welcome, the one, the only, the amazing, Chapter 7!**

…**.**

That night was awkward for everyone on board the condor.

Ember and Jake had to stay on the ship; their home had been partially destroyed after all, and the Storm Hawks couldn't just refuse them a place to sleep, especially after the help Ember had given them all.

But then, there was the issue of trust. Ember found it difficult to trust the Storm Hawks now that she knew of their origin - they were practically aliens. Jake found it difficult to trust Ember, now that he knew she had been keeping something this big from him all these years. But most of all, the Storm Hawks also found it difficult to trust her. She just reminded them so much of their greatest foe, in both appearance and mannerisms, though they all knew it would be extremely unlikely for the Dark Ace to actually be anything to do with her.

The morning came far too quickly for Ember's liking.

A single blade of light pierced through the gap in the room's curtains directly into her ruby coloured eyes. This didn't wake her; she'd not gotten to sleep in the first place. Thoughts about the other side of the Atmos had filled her mind for the majority of the night, wondering about the place these people had come from and how they had got here. The rest of the time, she was either thinking about how she was going to apologise to Jake, or about whom this 'Dark Ace' person was.

The only thing that shook off her thoughts were the sounds of Stork trying to get the engines to work - by kicking the control panel, then yelping in agony, and hopping around on his good foot from what she could hear.

Ember smiled. "Serves you right for pouring that gunk over me."

She got up. No chance of getting any sleep now that stork was tinkering, and the rest of the squadron were having an in-depth discussion about some unknown topic on the bridge. Not to mention Jake's snoring.

After getting dressed and putting her hair into two low bunches, she walked into the discussion.

"Well, Well. Look who's here…" said Finn, looking her up and down with his signature grin, obviously forgetting what happened last time he tried to flirt with Ember.

"Umm, hi. I'm not interrupting, am I?" she said, supressing a large yawn and ignoring Finn.

"Actually, we've all been talking and we have a proposition for you." replied Aerrow, with a charming smirk.

"O-Kay… what is it then?"

"You know how we've come from the other side of the Atmos?"

"Uh-huh…" Suspicion was written on every feature of her face.

"Well - we're completely lost here. That's one of the reasons why we crashed in the first place and we need an expert of the area to help Piper with the navigation… So we were wondering whether you'd consider helping us out by becoming an official member of the Storm Hawks."

After a moment for the information to sink in, a small, shy "Yes." and a nod was all she could manage through the mass of emotions she was feeling. "Yeah… sounds great! Thank you so much…" her smile dropped into a disappointed frown "But what about Jake? He's useless… would you let him stay too?"

"It's me who convinced them." Jake's voice came from the doorway "Wait a minute; did you just call me useless?" but a thank you hug later, all was forgiven.

Six hours had passed. The engines were in full working order, and the Condor was flying once again.

Finn had played a 'welcome to the team' prank (He had poured a glass of icy water down her back.) Junko had cooked an… interesting meal, but most importantly, Aerrow handed her a box.

"What's this?" Ember curiously looked at the pile of objects that had been placed on her lap.

"This is a box of things collected by the original Storm Hawks. See, there was a squadron called the Storm Hawks before us, and if you're going to be part of the team, you'll need to know a bit about them." Aerrow smiled, unsure of how to handle a late addition to the squadron. "Feel free to rummage through it all. Call if you have any questions." He walked off, leaving Ember to educate herself on squadron history, for which she was thankful - things were still a little awkward between them.

After scanning the log books and admiring the photos, she came across a diary.

A scruffy, leather bound book with a broken version of the squadron's emblem fixed to the front.

She opened the cover to see equally scruffy hand writing, that said,

"_If you're name isn't Ace, you know you shouldn't be reading this._

_When I find out you have, you'll regret ever being born._"

"Yeah well, what are you going to do about it?" she laughed, but then something struck her. "Wait a second… Ace? As in the Dark Ace that everyone keeps mentioning?"

This realisation provoked her to continue flipping through the diary, until a small photo slipped out from between two pages. It was a picture of a beautiful young woman with golden hair and rich brown eyes.

After looking at the picture for little more than a second, a wave of memories flooded into her mind…

…..

**Mwahahahah! Cliff hanger! Got to love 'em**.

**Phew, that was long chappie, wasn't it?**

**StarKnight- (is that right?) Don't panic… I'd be publishing without reviews; I need to get this stuff out of my head before it explodes…**

**But don't go thinking that that means you shouldn't review, by all means! Please do!**

**Hope you enjoyed it :) see you soon,**

**Ta-ta, Kezzy xxx**

**P.S. The next one's going to have a very important flashback that's crucial to the plot :)**


	10. Memories, part dos

*****_**dancing around my bedroom listening to Fences by Paramore**_*** ***_**notice you**_*** Oh! Erm… hi… didn't see you there, hehe.**

**So, as I said last chapter, this one's going to be flashbackified. Sorry if you don't like flashbacks, but tough ;) I'm going to do it anyway because it's VERY important.**

**StarKnight - Yes, you're awesome :)**

**Luna - LOL… CAPS LOCK IS EVIL :D**

**So, here goes… Chapter 8.**

…

_**Flashback**_

_It was a dark night, rain was pouring heavily, and Ember's small child hand was being held by the woman in the photo, who was crying. She stayed silent, leading Ember towards the door of an intimidating looking building._

_The woman was too emotional to speak, until they reached the door._

"_Listen carefully Ember," she crouched down to Ember's height and took her by both hands. "Some very bad people are after me, and I can't let them get to you too. Once I've gone, you need to knock on this door, ok?"_

"_But where are you going?" the young Ember sobbed._

_The woman skipped the question. She knew the little girl wouldn't understand. "Ember, take this …" She handed her a crystal. "It'll make you look different, so if the bad people find you, they won't recognise you. I'll always love you." With this, she gave her a small kiss on the cheek, began to glow with a lilac aura, crystals in hand, and vanished._

"_Mummy… please don't leave me." Ember sobbed for a good ten minutes before knocking on the door, as her mother had asked._

_When she did, a plump, tired looking maid answered the door. "What do you think you're doing knocking on orphanage doors at this time of night? Trouble making little…" she was looking straight over the top of Ember, expecting someone taller, but then she noticed her. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there… you poor little thing, let's go get you dry."_

_The large woman led Ember through the corridors of the strange old building, when a small, scruffy little boy, the same age as Ember, approached her. "Hi! What's your name?"_

"_Ember." she shyly answered the stranger._

"_I'm Jake. We're going to be best friends, I just know it… can I call you Emu?"_

"_No. You can't."_

"_Okay Emu. See ya!" And he ran off giggling before he got told off for not being in bed._

'_This one's going to be trouble…'_

_**End of flashback**_

"I remember my mum…" She was amazed; she'd never remembered any family in her entire life.

"But why would a picture of my mum be in the Dark Ace's diary? He must have been one of the people that were after her…"

She flipped over the photo, to reveal a small note, written in the same handwriting as the rest of the diary. It read:

"_Jules, the thief of my heart._"

…..

**Can you guess what it is yet? As my close friend Rolf would say…**

**So what do you think? Any good? Plz review!**

**Yup, Jakes always has been weird… probably why he's at the orphanage. Hehe**

**Peace!**

**Kezzy xxx**


	11. The big reveal

**Hiyaaaa everyone! Anyone guessed what's coming up next? It seems pretty obvious to me, but then, I'm the one who's writing it…. hehe…**

**StarKnight- Wahoo! High-five for awesomeness! Lol ;)**

**RedScarfLuxio**** - Aww thanks! *blushing* Good to know you like it :)**

**WHERE HAS EVERYONE ELSE GONE?**

**Okay peoples, if you haven't figured it out yet, this chappie is the big OMG! DID NOT SEE THAT COMING! Bit…**

**So, yeah… enjoyjoyjoy!**

**Chapter 9. :) (I like smileys today for some reason lol :) :D :P ;) XD)**

…

'The picture of my mum in his diary… _The thief of my heart…_ The resemblance… It's possible I suppose; I never knew my parents after all… But no, he was from the other side of the Atmos… Then, so are the new Storm Hawks… And my mum vanished by using crystals; what's to say she couldn't go from one side of the Atmos to the other?'

Ember thought about it long and hard, but she always came to the same, awful conclusion. The Dark Ace, who everyone feared and despised, was her father.

….

**Ah-ha! So it is revealed! Hehe, sorry :)**

…**..**

"No. He… he just can't be-"Aerrow stepped into the doorway and cut her off mid-sentence.

"Who can't be what?"

Surprised by the company, she quickly dried her eyes before any tears had chance to fall. "Oh, erm, nothing really."

A raised eyebrow told her that he wasn't buying it.

"Did this guy" she held up a photo of the original squadron from the box and pointed to an individual. "Eventually become the Dark Ace?"

"Yep, that's him. And that," he pointed to another figure "is my father."

"No kidding!" she laughed, but then her smile faded. "I don't mean to be… intrusive, but I feel like I should ask, what happened?"

Aerrow's face became a picture of sadness, hate and anger rolled into one. "The Dark Ace killed him. He killed them all."

Ember gasped - her father was a murderer too? 'Oh no… he'll think I know something now...'

But he just replied "Don't worry. It's not like you're anything to do with him, is it?"

She forced a small laugh. She had to keep up the act.

Aerrow was ½ way to the door when he turned round back to Ember. "I'm sorry if I've seemed a bit … stand-offish. I know you're nothing to do with him."

She simply returned a weak smile. 'Oh, the irony.'

Once he was gone, all she could think about was what to do next.

'Do I keep it a secret? No, I'm a rubbish liar… Maybe if I tell Jake? No, he'll tell everyone else; they can't know… Oh, it's hopeless! Unless… Unless I run away…'

….

**Okay, okay, I know it's another shortie… but I love leaving you on a cliff-hanger :D hehe**

**Please review, my dear friends! There will never be enough! Unless they're all bad. Then there'll be enough.**

**Anyway you shouldn't have to wait long for the next instalment; I've got a nice short day at college tomorrow :D (Yey!)**


	12. Please don't tell

**Hi. Sorry if I'm not my usual, bubbly, annoying self today - my house has just been burgled. Oh happy days.**

**Any who, I'm just writing this off the top of my head because my note pad was stolen! So, sorry if it's rubbish… **

**So please enjoy if it isn't too bad. **_**Oww my head hurts…**_

**Chapter 10**

…_._

"Guys, has anyone seen Ember? I need to start her combat training as soon as possible." Aerrow asked the members of his squadron. The only replies he got were a series of shaken heads and a chirp from Radarr. Until Jake walked in, flustered and on the brink of crying.

"She… she's gone…" He handed a note to Aerrow, who read aloud "_Dear Storm Hawks, If you have found this note, I'll already be far away. I have left, because what I have discovered is too much for me to keep as a secret from you, but if I told you, I fear you could never forgive me. In the case that you discover the truth, I'm sorry. Especially to you Aerrow. I thought it was best to leave on good terms, so here you are; goodbye, good luck for the future, Ember." _Everyone in the room stood silent. Shocked. What could possibly be so bad?_ "_Wait, there's something else_. 'P.S. Finn, I've 'borrowed' your skimmer. Sorry'."_

"Aww, man! I just polished it!" shrieked Finn, to which everyone gave him the 'shut up' glare. "What? I did!"

"I'm going to go after her. Can I borrow one of your rides? I need to go alone; I have a feeling she'll only talk to Me." said Jake, with new-found authority in his voice.

"Course. Take mine." said Aerrow, before adding "Are you sure you want to do it alone? We'd find her quicker if we were all searching."

"I'm sure. I think I have an idea of where she's got to." Aerrow handed him the keys to the skimmer. "Thanks."

Little over a minute later, Jake had begun his search, heading directly towards the orphanage, while the Storm Hawks looked on from the condor.

"Can he actually fly that thing?" Stork pointed out.

"Oh… forgot to ask." admitted Aerrow, while slight embarrassment showed on his features.

Ember sat sobbing on her bed, which was perched on a heap of rubble - the building had fallen into further disrepair; alongside Finn's ex-cyclonian skimmer, which sat in a crumpled heap of twisted metal.

She sat up. There was a distant noise… but she couldn't quite place it. She'd only heard it recently… a skimmer! One of them must have followed her to bring her back… or had they figured it out?

'I've got to find somewhere to hide!' she thought while clambering over large boulders of collapsed building. A large freestanding section of wall seemed the best option. Now all she had to do was sit and wait for them to go. However, the urge to peek around the corner and watch them suffer a little proved too tempting. She didn't dare admit it to herself, but she found it quite enjoyable in an odd way. But when she saw the long, scruffy, un-brushed hair, she knew it could only be Jake.

After a fairly successful landing, Jake dismounted the contraption and began a thorough search. He called her name every ten metres, and scoured the ground for clues until he came across a thin silvery bangle. Ember's bangle. "Ember. I know you're here." he shouted in no particular direction. "I've found the bangle I gave you for your eleventh birthday."

Ember heard this, and grabbed her wrist. How could she have not noticed? She had cherished that gift from the moment she was given it. She had to have it back… she had to have her best friend back too. She stood up from her hiding place to reveal herself. "Jake I'm here. I'm so sorry."

He turned to find his friend; a filthy, snivelling wreck of a girl.

"Come on Em, what's going on? You normally tell me everything."

"I've found out who my dad is." She replied in monotone and completely without enthusiasm.

"That's great, right?" He just couldn't grasp the situation.

"No. No Jake, it's not. You know how everyone said how I looked like that Dark Ace guy?"

"You can't think some random bloke is your dad just because you look a bit like him Ember, honestly, I thought you'd found out that you're a … vampire or… something weird."

"Jake! I'm serious! It's not just that… I found his diary, and it had a picture of my mum in it - don't ask about that too - They were a couple."

He was finally beginning to understand.

"Oh, and by the way, guess what else there is." but he just stood there silent. "He killed. Aerrow's. Father."

Once again he just stood there, silent.

"Jake. Say something. Jake! Please!"

He looked as if to be thinking something over, then walked back to the skimmer.

"Jake… what are you doing? Where are you going Jake?"

"I'm going to put things right." was his only reply, before taking off back towards the Condor.

"Don't do it… Please don't tell them…"

….

**Well that's all for now folks! Stay tuned for the next chapter :)**

**Turned out a bit better than I thought… but what do ****you ****think?**

**Plz review! **

***Yawn* Nighty night people, it's really late.**

**Ta-ta, Kezzy xxx**


	13. Does this really change anything?

**Sorry about the wait :( I just couldn't get the words out quite right…**

**OMG! Just found out that the guy who stole the stuff from my house might actually go to my college!**

**Thank you so much for the sympathy, it restores my faith in human kind :) They didn't take nearly as much as last time (Then they took practically everything apart from the kitchen sink. The worst part of that to me was I had to re-make all my Wii characters lol) but this time they got away with a v. expensive handbag and some money. :_(**

**Hehe… and in Psychology, we somehow got onto the subject of 'the awkward turtle'. Good times :) (Google it if you don't know what it is - I didn't until today)**

**So… yup. Here it is… Chapter 11.**

…**.**

The skimmer's wheels touched down on the Condor's landing strip in a cloud of smoke, the tyres leaving black trails behind them as Jake pulled hard on the brakes.

He dismounted, and then ran to the bridge.

"Jake! Why are you back so soon?"

"Well I -"

"Have you found her?"

"I -"

"Is she alright?"

"PLEASE! Let me speak. Yes, I found her, and yes, she's alright."

"Then why isn't she here now?" asked Finn, though everyone else was obviously just as confused.

Despite the situation he laughed. "One reason, is because she's completely trashed your skimmer, Finn."

"Aww… why'd she have to take mine?" cried Finn.

"And the other reason?" asked Aerrow, getting conversation back onto the issue.

Jake hesitated, and then replied "You might want to sit down."

….

After explaining everything he knew, Jake was once again hit with a torrent of questions.

"Are you serious?"

"So you've been keeping relatives of the Dark Ace on MY ship?" (Stork was fuming yet again)

"So that's why she looks so much like him…"

"What a waste of perfectly good disinfectant…"

"Why didn't she tell us?"

"I'm pretty sure she didn't tell us because she knew you would react like this." Jake had never been the democratic type, but in this case he had a go. "Seriously though, think about it, does this really change anything?"

"YES!" chorused the rest of the squadron.

"But why? She's still the same girl you offered a place in the team to, she never even knew the guy, AND she saved all of your lives."

Piper looked to be considering the argument, then asked "Jake you've known her most of her life, right?"

"Uh-huh…"

"Well, what's the worst thing that she's ever done since you've known her?"

"Umm…" he scratched his head, deep in thought. "She always talked back to teachers - especially in English… Oh, and she once stole an eraser from Art… that's it I think." He thought for a while longer, and then nodded in confirmation.

"That's it? So nothing like deliberately running the hot tap when someone's in the shower, just to hear them scream?" asked Finn, to which everyone just raised an eyebrow, then Junko realised something. "I thought you said it was just the boiler playing up!" Finn shuffled away nervously.

Once again, Aerrow put the conversation back onto the right course. "Maybe we have judged her a bit harshly…"

Junko paused his death glare at Finn to say "I think we should give her another chance."

"She is still a Storm Hawk… We wouldn't fall out over something like this." said Piper, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Then it's settled; let's go find that totally hot babette!" To this, Finn added his signature grin and finger-guns, which achieved nothing but rolled eyes.

….

Not long after this decision had been made, the Condor landed on the building it had turned to rubble on its previous visit.

Fog covered the landscape, so the best they could do, was call out into the distance.

"Ember, it's us! We need to talk!"

"Finn! She'll be scared; don't go saying things like that. She could take it the wrong way." said Piper, scolding him.

"Ember, we know what you've found out; it is okay, we don't mind!" Aerrow shouted in no particular direction, but was then caught off guard by a voice from behind them all.

"You knew I didn't want them to know, Jake. That's what I get for trusting you."

"Ember!" Jake ran towards her voice through the fog and hugged the first figure he came across.

"Err - Jake, I'm Piper."

"Oops… he-he, sorry."

Through the giggles, Ember crept out from the fog into view. "Jake, I'm here you idiot."

About ten seconds later, they broke from the hug. "Aerrow, do you mean it? Do you still want me back even though… you know."

"Yeah. I mean it. We all want you back."

"Wow… even stork?"

"Well… not so much stork, but the rest of us, yeah."

"If you're sure… Of course I'll come back!" Though, she didn't want to sound overly enthusiastic, so she added "I mean it is better than this place I suppose…"

…

_**six months later**_

'_Dear diary,_

_I don't think life could possibly get any better than this. I'm useful for once, Jake doesn't annoy me quite as much anymore, now that he's found a talent for electrics. But best of all, I am part of a family. Not to mention Finn asking me out! Of course I said no, but now I think about it, all he's ever had is nos. Maybe if I said yes he wouldn't try as hard. Or maybe he is just a pompous weirdo after all…'_

She shut her diary as Aerrow walked in.

"We've had a sighting of Cyclonis; we've got to follow it up."

"Right on it!" she said with a content smile. 'Everything is perfect.'

…..

_**Meanwhile…**_

Cyclonis stood at the base of a mountain; exhausted and her clothes in tatters. '_Only one option left…_'

She held up a shard of glowing red crystal, and muttered an incantation.

A bright red orb appeared from nowhere, and began to grow larger and larger, and shards of crystals began to gravitate to the centre of the orb. It took mere minutes to form the structure of a person.

The orb faded, and the body fell limp onto the ground. It gained consciousness.

"Hello, Dark Ace. It's been a while."

…..

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**So that's all folks! Ember is complete! **

**I really didn't want it to end here, but… it just …did.**

**But for my wonderful, loyal, and slightly mad fans, never fear! For I am planning on a sequel!**

**Anyways… hope it was good while it lasted, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Please review! Lots of hugs and kisses,**

**Kezzy xxx**


	14. HELP

**Oh dear SkyKnight... calm down; you're begining to sound like my mum... ;)**

**OMG! LONGEST REVIEW IN THE HISTORY OF ... REVIEWYNESS? Um, yeah that'll do...**

**Any who... I NEED YOUR THOUGHTS MY DEAR FRIENDS OR I WILL GET HUNTED DOWN BY SOMEONE PRACTICALLY A TRILLION MILES AWAY FROM ME! (Help) ;) He-he...**

**So, yeah. If you have an idea of what you would like to happen in the sequel, then feel free to put it in a review or message... I probably won't use the entire idea as in when I got inspiration from my crazed fan :) so don't worry about your idea being completely stolen. Does that actually make any sense at all? :/**

**All ideas will be considered and you will be given credit for your fabulosity when I use them!**

**Lots of love,**

**Kezzy xxx**

**P.S. PLEEEEEAAAASSSSEEE!**


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